Jax

We are on our way to Galveston; just entering Houston now. All I see on google maps is red and orange. We stopped in at Gas Monkey Garage and Lindsay bought merch. I haven’t mentioned much about where we have been eating; we have tried to keep meals simple knowing what’s coming. IYKYK. Some of you may find our choices odd but coming from Canada we love Raising Caine and have eaten there 3X. I spotted a Shake Shack down at the stock yards and we ate supper there and then again today at a different location as we were leaving Dallas. I can’t think of any fast food in Canada that compares to either of these places. Anxious to see Lindsay’s driving stats following today’s trip I was tempted to stop and buy gravel at our last Buccee’s stop. This from someone who is not prone to motion sickness. He is putting his driving skills to good use on this trip. Will report back after we checkin. I have high expectations for The Tremont Hotel so I am looking forward to the next 3 nights.

In other news: Lindsay keeping up with traffic in Texas.

Busy day in the Dallas area. We started the day off by stopping at AT&T Stadium. Unfortunately there were no self guided tours today and the field was not open because they are changing it out for college football next week. We didn’t want to wait for a VIP guided tour knowing the field wasn’t open. Plus Lindsay has visited the stadium previously and toured locker rooms and the field. Next was a stop at the JFK Assassination site. Then a quick drive by Turtle Creek Lane in Dallas. This is a fun account I follow on Instagram that loves going all out with seasonal decorating. Next stop was Gas Monkey Garage. Terrible luck; they closed 30 minutes before we got there for a staff party. So I think we will stop in tomorrow morning on our way to Galveston so Lindsay can buy merch. Next stop, the Texas Motor Speedway. This was a highlight for me. We were able to book a private tour which included stops in the owners suite, trackside and 3 laps around the track. I posted 1 of my laps on IG stories. For the money this exceeded expectations. I am going to look into coming back when I can schedule a driving experience for Lindsay and Reyd. Maybe a high school graduation celebration; who knows. They were not offering any this late in December. Then we were off to see Fort Worth Stock Yards with a stop at Billy Bobs. Lindsay has been here before but I had no idea what to expect. It definitely exceeded my expectations. So many restaurants and shops. I said the Calgary Stampede should create something like this. We are back at the hotel now resting. lol

Haha, trust me they would if they could. We had diesel pushers for several years back when Reyd was smaller (between 4-7) when the Cdn dollar was par. Lindsay imported quite a few and made many trips all over the US to drive them home. Quite a few trips to Texas. He misses those days; me not so much! A number of years ago Lindsay was hired to deliver a motor coach to Florida and the owner allowed Reyd and I to go. Here is a much younger Reyd. The only thing stopping Lindsay from buying again is the terrible exchange rate; thank god! I’m not ready to take on genie duties on land vacations.

We arrived at Live by Loews about 4:30 after the boys finished up at Motorhome Specialist. I booked a corner suite with stadium views. Suites only have the option of a king so they brought in a rollaway bed. The beds are very comfy, incl the rollaway. Views are of AT&T stadium and Globe Life Field. Texas Live is right next door and is a new concept for us. We headed over there and ate at Lockhart Smokehouse for brisket. It was pretty quiet tonight but we all thought what a zoo it must be on game day. We are taking it easy tonight because tomorrow is going to be busy as it’s our only full day before heading to Galveston Thursday.

Happening now The boys were good sports with our stops at Magnolia so now it’s my turn. Our next stop was at the Motorhome Specialist in Alvarado TX. It’s apparently the largest dealership in North America so we could be here a while. Lol

Glad to have you along!!

Magnolia Table & Magnolia Silos & Bakery Everything worked out perfectly with parking so we had lunch at Magnolia Table. I booked months ago and it’s a good thing as it was very busy. The menu is pretty basic but we all enjoyed our food. Since I have followed Fixer Upper for years and currently watch their projects on Magnolia Network these were fun stops. Videos can be seen on Instagram stories @jacquie.williamson From there we headed a few blocks over to Magnolia Silos & Bakery. Very nice place to wonder around. We grabbed an assortment of cupcakes and brownies from the bakery for our trip to Arlington. Our final stop was The Hotel 1928 another project by Chip & Joanna Gaines that we watched on the Magnolia Network.

Yes you can. We are going to CK for filet night on Dec 24th which coincidentally lands on one of the restricted nights. From a quick look at Christmas Eve and Christmas Day’s menu at CK on the app there is nothing special listed on the menu. It looks kind of underwhelming for a holiday cruise. In past years I never really paid much attention to CK menu because we only ever eat there on filet night; all the remaining nights are specialty. Pfft you are not hijacking anything; I think Royal could definitely do a better job on this too.

agree. I will definitely be doing recon at Chops and compare holiday vs non holiday menu.

We are on our way to Waco to visit Magnolia Market and have lunch at Magnolia Table. We reserved at Magnolia Table months ago. This is the first look at the menu because we can’t access this content in Canada. I thought Magnolia Table was at Magnolia Market but it’s a short drive away. We will have to see what parking options are available as we don’t want to leave our vehicle out of site given its full of our luggage/personal belongings. I checked the crime map and it looks like Magnolia Table is in the red zone. Our plan B is to grab lunch at Magnolia Market where we know there is onsite parking and we can keep our eyes on the vehicle. We knew a family that left their vehicle with luggage to run into Starbucks and came back minutes later to the back window smashed and all their luggage gone. Albeit this was in Seattle I don’t even want to consider dealing with that outcome so we will play it safe until we get to our hotel.

I agree. I definitely will do some menu recon and report back. Although it’s always been included for us due to being star class it would be a significant additional cost for our friends even at the reduced price of $49.99 pp per night. I told them it wasn’t worth it and not to do it. They actually don’t mind Wonderland so they plan to go there one night. And not surprising, the UDP pricing didn’t reflect the loss of 2 nights at 3 of the specialty restaurants.

That’s been a while. Surprised it’s taking so long to confirm that star is included. Curious if you have heard anything on the entertainment schedule yet?

This is interesting…honestly on all our holiday cruises I have never noticed a fancier or special menu at any of these 3 restaurants. Maybe the star class bubble is to blame for my poor observation skills but I will definitely take a picture of this holiday menu and compare to the non holiday one.

You nailed it! The funny thing is in regular life he is in bed by 9pm and turns into Batman but Vacation Lindsay can tire out even Reyd. Thank goodness we have friends cruising with us that can help us out.

Back to regular scheduled cruise content. Genie news Berty sent a tentative dining schedule that looks like this: Night 1 CK, Night 2 Chops (Formal night), Night 3 Jaime’s (Casual), Night 4 Hibachi (Caribbean night), Night 5 150 CP (Country night), Night 6 Chops (Formal night) and Night 7 Jaime’s (White night). Noticeably absent is Wonderland. The concept does not appeal to us so we are skipping it again. We may try to do dessert there one night but that’ll be a game day decision and depend on whether Berty can tuck us in a quiet corner because Reyd says he doesn’t want to watch any of the food experiences. Lol Our preferred dining time is 6pm, initially Hossain mentioned 5:15 to 5:30 and following my chat with Berty we settled on 5:45pm (exception being Hibachi which is at 7pm). That should allow plenty of time to get to entertainment. Berty heard back from the F&B director and clarified the upcharge on specialty dining at Chops, Jaime’s and 150 CP on Dec 24/25th for our friends with the unlimited dining package. The extra charge is $49.99 pp. It is included for star class. I think our friends will eat on their own those nights because paying the upcharge is pricey considering the price of the UDP. Berty is waiting for a confirmed show schedule from the cruise director team and once he has it he will incorporate it into our schedule. This is not uncommon for holiday sailings. Things always seem to be finalized quite last minute. Berty will schedule a time for the private photo session on Night 2 just before dinner.

Everything is better when it’s 23C. At home we rely on heaters in the winter months and are hitting the balls into a snow covered landing area. I particularly liked beating Lindsay & Reyd. Lindsay is use to this but Reyd, not so much. +1 for mom today It was too funny; Reyd cautioned me a couple times not to hurt my back.

I agree! Thankfully there is a fair amount of driving this week so I can rest up for next week!! “Vacation Lindsay” can be exhausting. lol Ok with the mousse. I need more patience and practice with the application. The face spray is actually quite nice. But the smell, although subtle is gross. I still need to try the tinted lotion. I will forever think of Batman when it comes to underwear stories.

Thank you! I hope both your wishes come true.

Thank you And yay for you and your new cruise bookings! So fun to book new cruise.

Complimentary Breakfast This was the most impressive complimentary breakfast we have ever had. There was a buffet portion as well as a made to order station for omelettes, eggs and avocada toast. Everything was well stocked. Definitely a 10/10. Sorry, forgot to take pics.

Morning view

All checked in at Hilton Embassy Suites at The Woodlands. I mentioned last night they upgraded us to a lake view room. I will show the view tomorrow in the daylight but I think the view will be very nice. They offer quite a few nice amenities; evening bar service 2 drinks per person, free parking and a buffet or made to order breakfast daily from 6-10am. There are lots of shops and restaurants within walking distance. All in all not a bad place to stay for a couple nights on points. This room can sleep up to 5-6 people with the sofa bed.

I am shocked; we landed early. Premium Includes priority luggage but at IAH it meant we got our bags last. So annoying after a long travel day. When we went to load Into our full size SUV we noticed the back seat headrests were missing and no where to be found. And as luck would have it that was their last full size SUV. The manager went over and above and offered us a heavily discounted brand new premium SUV crossover…a VW Atlas I think. It still accommodates our luggage so off we went. On our way to The Woodlands now and will check back after we check in to our hotel.

Well it looks like no flightfud for Reyd. Words to live by: “Booze then beer you are in the clear, Beer to booze then you lose”.